76 THE DOMESTIC FOWL. 



and character, they are well adapted- for caponizing, by 

 which means they, undoubtedly, would attain an extra- 

 ordinary large size. 



The Plymouth Rock Fowl. — This is the name of a 

 mongrel breed of some notoriety, lately produced by 

 Dr. J. C. Bennett, of Plymouth, Massachusetts, which 

 he describes in the Boston Cultivator, (of Aug. 25, 

 1849,) in the following words : — 



" I have given this name to a very extra breed of 

 fowls, which I produced by crossing a cockerel [?] of 

 Baylies' importation < of Cochin-China, with a hen, a 

 cross between the fawn -colored Dorking, the great 

 Malay, and the wild India. Her weight is six pounds 

 and seven ounces. The Plymouth Rock fowl, then, is 

 in reality, one half Cochin-China, one fourth fawn- 

 colored Dorking, one eighth great Malay, and one eighth 

 wild India — having five primitive bloods, Shanghae, 

 Malay, game, Turkish, and India, traceable by referring 

 to the history of those breeds and their crosses respec- 

 tively. There are several of this breed, (the Plymouth 

 Rock,) in Plymouth, from my original stock, belonging 

 to Messrs. Perkins, Drew, Harlow, and myself, that, are 

 now a little over one year old ; the cockerels f_?] mea- 

 sure from thirty-two to .thirty-five inches high, and 

 weight about ten pounds, and the pullets from six and a 

 half to^even pounds each, forming, in my opinion, the 

 best cross that has ever been produced. 



" The pullets commenced laying when five months 

 old, proving themselves very superior layers. Their 

 eggs are of medium size, rich, and reddish-yellow in 

 color. Their plumage is rich and variegated ; the 

 cockerels, usually red or speckled, and the pullets 

 darkish-brown. They are very fine fleshed, and easily 

 fit for the table. Their legs are very large, and usu- 

 ally blue or green, but occasionally yellow or white, 

 generally having five toes upon each foot. Some have 

 their legs feathered, but this is not usual. They have 

 large and single combs and wattles, largo dewlaps, [?] 

 rather short tails, and small wings, in proportion to 

 their bodies. They are domestic, and not so destruo- 



